Answer:
Established around 500 BCE by Siddhartha Gotama, known better as Buddha, Buddhism has since spread throughout the world, attracting individuals from all walks of life. Since its beginnings when Buddha reached enlightenment beneath a gopi tree after preparation that spanned countless lifetimes, Buddhism has influenced the lives of millions of individuals, causing many to renounce their normal lives and “go forth” as Buddhist monks and maechi nuns.
This life of restraint and simplicity often reflects a disgust of the materialistic world and a desire for a holy life with the goal of eventually, through several lifetimes, reaching nirvana and escaping the suffering of samsara. However, this ability to “go forth” and renounce one’s normal life has not always been and is not necessarily equal for men and women.
The question of women even being able to “go forth” was first addressed by Buddha, who expressed initial reluctance to admit them as nuns. Though progress has been made over the years and women have been allowed to pursue a life of monastic discipline and restraint, differences still exist between the treatment of Buddhist monks and nuns.
Buddhism offers an equal escape and release for everyone. It does not discriminate against an individual based on their background. It is faith of personal development that centers its attention on the growth of the individual while promoting virtues and ideas about helping others.
When examining the story of Maechi Wabi’s “going forth” into the monastic life in comparison to that of Siddhartha Gotama’s, there are both several similarities and differences. The similarities in their stories relate to both having a revulsion for the normal life of a householder as well as an intense desire to attain moksha and liberation from samsara. The condition of Buddhism, gender, and socioeconomic factors encompass the three main areas of difference between the two.
These differences presented extra obstacles that Maechi Wabi as well as other Buddhist nuns have had to overcome in order to pursue the lifestyle of their choice. Though the question of equality between the two religions gender groups has often been addressed with the monks clearly emerging as the better treated, a gap still exists today between the two. After analyzing the similarities and differences between the “going forth” of Siddhartha Gotama and Maechi Wabi, it is clear that women wishing to become maechi nuns are often faced with more barriers and plagued with more issues that men wishing to become monks.
The similarities of the “going forth” of Maechi Wabi and that of Siddhartha Gotama are rooted in the basic principles and ideals of the Buddhist faith. The foundation of Buddhism centers on the idea that through several lifetimes of cultivating the virtues and beliefs of the religion one can escape the suffering of rebirth, or samsara. This escape is found through inner enlightenment when one is “awakened” as they reach moksha. Both Siddhartha Gotama and Maechi Wabi expressed a desire to attain this liberation from their suffering. They had a deep revulsion for the life of householders that resulted in unhappiness and inner pain. In a selection from the Pali Canon, Gotama states,
“Candaka, for countless ages I have enjoyed sensual objects of sigh, sound color, flavor, and touch, in all their varieties; but they have not made me happy…Realizing this, I will embark on the raft of dharma, which is steadfast, endowed with the range of austerities, good conduct, equanimity, effort, strength, and generosity, which is sturdy, made of firmness of effort, and strongly held together. I desire and wish that, after attaining the level of awakening, which is beyond decay and death, I will save the world” (Fieser, 82).
Here, Siddhartha Gotama expresses his unhappiness with the sensual objects of a householder’s life and his desire to obtain a truer, more worthwhile existence. Having been shielded from the ills of the world his entire life by his father, Gotama first realized the error in the lifestyle he was leading when he stepped outside the palace gates and saw the harsh reality of life. Maechi Wabi expressed a similar disgust for the life of a householder as a result of the trials and tribulations she was exposed to when caring for her sisters and brothers in her youth. She also developed an early disdain for men after her father’s departure left her mother to raise their entire family alone. This disdain mixed with confusion about her father’s decision to renounce his life and family.
